Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act

The Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act (H.R. 1002) seeks to expand the legal definition of a "law enforcement officer" to include certain federal employees who were previously excluded from that classification for retirement purposes. This change would primarily affect federal employees authorized to carry firearms while investigating or apprehending suspects, as well as specific Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees focused on tax collection.

By reclassifying these roles, the bill would grant these employees access to the same enhanced retirement benefits and early retirement options currently available to other federal law enforcement officers under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). For the public, this bill aims to ensure consistent benefits across federal agencies for personnel performing high-risk duties, while also establishing a transition period to prevent the immediate mandatory retirement of newly classified officers.